Here are highest-paid female CEOs of leading Nigerian firms
The corporate world has come a long way when it comes to recognising the leadership abilities of women. For too long, the most senior positions in companies were almost exclusively filled by men.
Several companies in Nigeria have female chief executive officers.
Below are the highest-paid female CEOs of companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited.
Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe
Onyeali-Ikpe, CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc, is the highest-earning female CEO among listed Nigerian companies. She earned N110 million in 2022, the same as the previous year.
With over 30 years of experience across various banks, Onyeali-Ikpe assumed office as managing director and CEO of Fidelity Bank on January 1, 2021, succeeding Nnamdi Okonkwo.
She was previously executive director, of Lagos, and South West, overseeing the bank’s business in the six states that make up the South West region of the bank.
Owen Omogiafor
Omogiafor is the president and CEO of Transnational Corporation Plc, a conglomerate of several businesses such as Transcorp Hotels Plc, Teragro Commodities Limited, Transcorp Power Limited, TransAfam Power Limited, Transcorp Energy Limited and Transcorp OPL 281 Limited.
She earned N90 million in 2022.
She has over two decades of corporate experience in organisational development, human capital management, banking, change management, hospitality, and energy.
She sits on the board of Avon Healthcare Limited in a non-executive capacity and is a member of the Finance, Investment & Risk Committee as well as the Audit & Governance Committee of the company. She has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Power Generation Companies in Nigeria.
Owen holds a B.Sc. in Sociology & Anthropology from the University of Benin, an M.Sc. in human resource management from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School and IESE Business School, Spain. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, UK.
Dupe Olusola
Dupe Olusola is the managing director and chief executive officer of Transcorp Hotels Plc. She is the second woman to lead the organisation.
She earned N62.7 million in 2022, up from N62.6 million in 2021.
Olusola began her career in 2002 as the SME manager of African Capital Alliance. She then held various positions at Teragro Group, including head of marketing and corporate communications.
In 2016, she joined United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc as group head of embassies, multilaterals and development
organisations and global investors services.
She was later appointed Group Head, Marketing at UBA. She created and implemented the integrated strategy for all UBA Group Bank and non-bank subsidiaries in this capacity.
In 2020, she was appointed as the CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc.
Oluwatomi Somefun
Somefun became the managing director of Unity Bank Plc in 2015.
She earned N41.7 million in 2022, up from N41.4 million in the previous year.
She is a graduate of English Language from Obafemi Awolowo University and had her PhD at Redeemer University. She is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and University of Columbia Business School, New York as well as a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria.
She started her career in the financial service industry with Peat Marwick and Co. After that, she moved to Arthur Andersen – now KPMG – before becoming an executive director at Unity Bank plc.